FRANÇOIS COPPÉE
Paris, 1842--Paris, 1908
Coppée is known as a poet and writer of short stories. His work usually deals with the pathetic side of humble life. He has been accused of sentimentality and superficiality; he is, however one of the most popular and accomplished of the modern French poets, a dramatist of some merit and the author of a number of Contes relating to the life of the peuple, particularly in and about Paris.
Important works: Poésies (several collections, 1864-1890), Théâtre (best plays: Le Passant, 1869; Le Luthier de Crémone, 1876; Les Jacobites, 1885; Pour la Couronne, 1895), and several volumes of Contes (the two stories given in this collection are from his Longues et Brèves, published in 1893).
Edition: Lemerre.
LE LOUIS D'OR
[169.]--12. abat-jour. This compound noun is invariable in the plural because the plural idea does not really belong to the second element, which is the only part capable of inflection.
17. Zaatcha. This oasis was captured in 1849, during what may be termed the second period of the French occupation of Algeria; the first period extends from the landing of French troops in 1830 until the capture of Constantine in 1837, the second period, from 1837 to 1849, was a period of resistance, the third period extending to 1901 was one of partial insurrections; Algeria is now the most important French colony. France now possesses the colonies of St. Pierre and Miquelon, near Newfoundland; Guadaloupe, Martinique and French Guiana in the West Indies and South America; New Caledonia, New Hebrides and about 116 other islands in Oceania; Indo-China (comprising Cochin-China, Annam and Tonkin, with about 18,000,000 inhabitants); Madagascar, Reunion and other near-by islands; Djibouti, an African port on the Gulf of Aden; French Congo, French Soudan, French Guinea, French Senegal, on the western coast of Africa; Tunis, Algeria and Morocco (the latter since 1912) on the Mediterranean, with strong influence in the country lying between this territory and the Soudan. In addition the French language is spoken by the descendants of French colonists in Canada, New Orleans, the Mexican mountains, etc.
[170.]--3. mettant... ses souliers dans la cheminée. The French children have this custom instead of hanging up their stockings.
[171.]--28. quelque espoir. The final vowel of quelque is elided only in quelqu'un and quelqu'une.
[172.]--5. le dix-sept n'est pas sorti. The game of roulette is played on a rectangular table with a revolving wheel in the center. A ball is placed on the wheel which sends it into compartments; these compartments (of which there are two series, one on each side of the table) are numbered consecutively up to thirty-six and are arranged in three parallel lines or columns. The players or punters stake their money in various ways: on a single number or numéro, which means that if the ball rests on that number the player receives thirty-five times the amount risked; on a colonne or row of numbers, in that case if the ball remains on any number of the column the player receives three times the amount risked; on a couleur (the numbers are half red, half black), in this case he receives, if he is successful, the amount he has risked; on the douzaine, that is, on the first, second or third series of twelve numbers, in case he wins the player then receives three times the amount he has risked; other combinations may also be used and there are two compartments, and 00, which enable the bank to maintain a constant advantage.
L'ENFANT PERDU
[176.]--11. sous le nom de Louis XIV. Louis XIV was also known as le Roi-Soleil.
15. Conseil général de l'Eure. The old French provinces were abolished during the Revolution, and the territory was redivided into départements, of which there are at present 86 (if the territory around Belfort be not counted); each department is governed by a préfet, or prefect. These departments are subdivided into 362 arrondissements, with a sous-préfet at the head of each; these into 2899 cantons, governed by a council; and these in turn into 36,170 communes, governed by mayors. The chief magistrate of the modern Republic (declared in 1870) is the President, elected for seven years by the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. These latter legislative bodies are composed respectively of 300 members elected for nine years (one third every three years), and of 597 members elected for four years. The President appoints a cabinet of ten ministers to aid him in his executive duties. When a cabinet receives only a minority of votes of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies, it resigns in a body and a new cabinet is formed. The executive power is represented throughout France by the préfets, sous-préfets and mayors. Each commune, canton and arrondissement possesses a council which cannot treat of political questions. There is also a conseil général which considers departmental affairs. A deliberative body and a representative of the executive are thus found side by side throughout the strongly centralized Republic.
20. nous sommes donc autorisé. The author is speaking for himself alone, hence the participle is in the singular.
[178.]--7. zéro. The French use the Centigrade thermometer with zero at 32° Fahrenheit; 1 4/5° F. = 1° C.
[179.]--28. un air de famille avec les Auvergnats. An allusion to the custom in Auvergne of wearing the beard in this fashion.
[180.]--32. chaussons de lisière et de la brosserie. List-shoes and brushes are manufactured in French prisons.
[181.]--13. qui s'en faisait deux fois autant par la vertu de l'anse du panier. Compare the phrase, faire danser l'anse du panier, said of a cook who makes a profit on the supplies of the Household.
24. son Allemande. Gouvernante is to be understood.
[182.]--7. joueur comme les cartes. Compare the phrase in another of Coppée's stories (les Vices du Capitaine), joueur comme feu Bésigue, where the game (bezique) is spoken of as though it were a person.
11. trop heureux de devenir. Notice the difference between this phrase and trop heureux pour devenir.
31. Dauphin. When the province of Dauphiné was added to French territory, the last ruler of Dauphiné, Humbert III, ceded the province on condition that the title of Dauphin be given to the eldest son of the French king; the province became a part of French territory in 1349.
[183.]--10. le trois pour cent. The reference is to government bonds.
16. quatre bureaux de tabac. Tobacco is a government monopoly in France, hence the management of the shops is sometimes turned over to friends of politicians.
18. Deux Décembre. The date (December 2, 1851) on which Louis Napoleon executed his coup d'état, by which he was elected President for ten years. There was a Parisian uprising against this act, but he put this down and in the following year he became Emperor with the title of Napoleon III (1808-1873).
19. P'pa, et le p'tit Noël... y mettra-ti' tet' chose. For Papa, etc. ...y mettra-t-il quelque chose. See also note to p. 77, l. 32.
[184.]--1. blond albinos. Modified adjectives of color are usually invariable.
[185.]--20. conquêtes de 89. The French Revolution began in 1789.
27. l'air d'un marié du samedi. The working people are often married on Saturday.
29. République parlementaire. A Republic has been proclaimed three times in France: the first lasted from 1792 until Napoleon I became Emperor in 1804; the second extended from the fall of King Louis Philippe in 1848 until the coup d'état of 1851; the third and present Republic was proclaimed on September 4, 1870 (the allusion in the text is to the last).
[186.]--14. au château. That is, au château du Louvre, the former residence of the French kings.
23. Port' siou p'ait. (Ouvrez la) porte s'il vous plaît.
[187.]--12. sur les fortifications. The reference is to the walls around Paris, formerly used as fortifications; the type of the quarter is described in the text.
[191.]--19. ayez pas peur. The popular omission of ne has already been noted (note to p. 64, l. 19), as well as the other popular phrases which follow.
[192.]--14. j'ai été faire. The use of être for aller when followed by an infinitive is inelegant, though the construction is sometimes used by good writers.
[195.]--24. médaille. The reference is to the military medal, conferred for meritorious military service (instituted in 1852).